Yep…and said out loud…”This isn’t a good omen!”
And I saw an “Official Race Vehicle” fully stuck in the first mud section.:.it was a Off-Road Motorcycle.
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I saw that moto as well. Thought it was ironic.
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This race is one of the “majors” in the sport? Yet runs out of water, doesn’t have course markings and is a course you actually can’t ride and have to spend hours walking your bike… then on top of that, has a course design that makes you stop due to train crossings?
Lifetime needs to do better.
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They had water at both stops when I rolled through. People were using the water to clean the mud off themselves, their bikes, and gear. I used probably 2x the water I would have if I had just been consuming it.
So I think the root cause of running out of water was the routing of the course through mud sections.
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It had just barely dried out enough when we came through on the XL that it was rideable but was pretty obviously not going to hold up with the rain the followed shortly thereafter.
Obviously they chose to put this back on the course knowing what could happen if it rained this year and what happened last year with the hiking in other sections. One can only surmise that they actually think this is good for the mystique of the race to keep it really hard and “different” from other races. The DNF rate in 2021 was similar if I recall but for a different but less controllable reason (heat).
Until demand stops wildly outstripping supply I don’t know why they would do anything different.
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I don’t mind the crap gravel sections, as long as it’s generally known in advance. There’s a skill involved in riding chunky gravel sections where it’s possible to avoid flats and any bike damage with the right technique and choices (eg speed, line choice)
But there’s no good reason to knowingly route people through really bad mud sections. There’s no real skill involved in riding deep sticky mud to prevent it from sticking - it sticks to everyone’s tires and frame.
FWIW - the other two big races I’ve done are Leadville and SBT. I’d recommend them above Unbound.
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Silca should develop a mud repelling coating you can apply to your frame.
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that’s what PAM oil spray is for … just borrow from the kitchen 
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Great, tear off the label and repackage at 1000% markup.
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I’m honestly surprised by the amount of outrage over the early mud section. I agree that they should have diverted the course around that section, but anyone signing up for that race should be ready for huge challenges on race day. On the scale of huge challenges, an hour or 2 walking in the mud isn’t off the charts. It could have been 95 degrees and sunny, which would have been much worse than the mud in my opinion. Winds were also very favorable yesterday. I was in emporia for the La Grind stage race last month and it was a sunny 96f with a howling wind, much more miserable conditions than mud and rain (and over 50% dnf).
And hearing reports of people spending 10+ minutes at the aid stations cleaning bikes/chains (and using drinking water?) has me scratching my head. Sure, wipe down your chain and throw some lube on if you have it, but it sounds like people were actually cleaning all the mud deposits from their bikes. You aren’t losing that much time carrying an extra pound of mud on your frame (and the driving rainstorm later in the day actually cleaned mine up pretty good).
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There was a bike cleaning station at Madison. I saw 5 or 6 freshly cleaned bikes rolling out of that aid station as I was leaving and wondered why.
I cleaned and lubed my chain, but that’s a whole lot quicker than a bike wash.
ETA - there were also people cleaning their bikes with a hose at water stop #2 
FFS…disposition effect
This race and everything around it stinks. It’s the result of network effects. There’s nothing objectively appealing about it.
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Yeah, next year they need to add a mandatory walking/bike carrying section. Maybe add a warped wall at the finish line too.
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Made me even more determined to get in via lottery for next year.
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Maybe they’re trying to reduce interest in the race 
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As they say, different strokes and all…
I totally get why some folks aren’t fans of the big commercialized “bucket list” events. I’m generally a pretty jaded old fart about most stuff, but I’m a fan of the dynamic these events bring together. Multi-day gathering of people from all walks of life doing these events for different reasons. I’m mostly out there to measure my abilities against similar old dudes, but I also love meeting the folks that are just trying to finish. Again, I get that these events aren’t for everyone. The good thing is that there are lots of smaller local events as well and nobody is forcing anyone to make a choice. I personally like all flavors, I just like racing my bike and hanging out with like minded people.
Back to yesterday’s race, I’ll firmly stand by my statement that it just wasn’t that tough of a day in the grand scheme of things. It’s the first time I’ve raced 200 miles (or anywhere near 13 hours), but at no time was I in a bad place. Definitely the most fun I’ve ever had in a gravel race and ended up with a good result. I’ve done leadville a couple times and there are always moments I want to pull the plug or that I’m questioning my sanity. Gravel locos last year (100f+ temps) was much, much harder than this year’s Unbound. Other than an hour or two of mud, conditions were pretty ideal to have a good day.
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Yesterday was my first Unbound. I did the 200 and for me had a solid day and a Top 20 age group finish. A few thoughts:
There was an empty passenger train at the start that crossed the course a very short distance after the start line. I lined up in the 12 hour group and about half of this group went through and the other half waited. Many went through after the crossing guards were down. I waited, but then it started a bit of a chase once the train passed. You’d think the train right at the start could have been avoided…
I did the preride the day before with Alex Howes and he pointed out the muddy section as we rode past it and said it would likely be in the race tomorrow. What I didn’t realize was how long it was. 3+ miles of walking so early on was not ideal but at that point I wasn’t going to let it get me down. I just kept pushing until the end of the section and then used the plastic paint scraper I had taped to my bike to get it cleaned up and went on. Ultimately I would have preferred it not be in the race, but if they wanted it in there, a shorter distance would have been a lot better.
The second mud section was just as bad from a mud standpoint but as noted above was way shorter. Alison Tetrick was walking right next to me, so she provided not stop entertainment so it actually made that section kind of fun. There was also a hose that a local farmer set up at the end of the section where Alison and a few of us were able to spray off our bikes.
During the first half of the day the temps climbed pretty steadily. I used some pantyhose ice packs down my back at Aid 1 and this helped cool me down. However as the day rolled on and the clouds rolled in the temps dropped, especially as the rain fell. I heard it hailed on some riders but the rain that hit me was never enough that I needed to put on a rain jacket. I just kept riding and that was enough to stay warm. From my perspective the rain made the race easier since there was no longer the heat to deal with. Other than the two mud pits, the rest of the course remained rideable and wasn’t really impacted much by the water hitting it.
I opted to run the Pathfinder Pro 42s with inserts, Orange Seal, 27 psi on G23 rims. These felt great all day. The terrain varies a fair bit but there is a lot that is pretty smooth and fast rolling. When it does get chunky, the segments are fairly short. The 42s cleared the mud pretty well, but I definitely needed to scrape the tires clean after the two mud sections. No flats, and other than the mud rode, through everything such as the creek crossing and any big puddles etc.
I ran an Eagle 1x mullet set up that also felt perfect for the course and I think not having a front deraileur was a benefit with the conditions. The chain was prepped with Silca wax. At Aid 1 I gave my drivetrain a quick spray down with WhiteLighting drivetrain cleaner and the chain a wipe with a microfiber. I then applied Rock N Roll Gold. This turned out to work perfectly. I applied Rock N Roll Gold twice more, once at Oasis 2 and a third time at Aid 2. Chain ran quiet right to the finish. I had prepped a second chain for a swap just in case but never needed it.
Overall I had a blast. Yes it was a tough day but, similar to @grwoolf, I felt pretty good all day long and it was a thrill to finish. One thing that helped me was having done Leadville three times. Pushing your bike up the goat trail and the steep part of Powerline is pretty rough. I was thinking in my head as I pushed on the muddy grass that this did seem easier than the walking at Leadville, so maybe wasn’t so bad…
Would I go back for another? Honestly that I’m not sure about that. It’s got a bit of the “one and done” feel to it, but we’ll see. When the going gets tough in the future, I’ll likely reflect back on Unbound 200 2023 and think about how I got through that so maybe the current challenge isn’t so bad.
Gratz to everyone that participated.
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+1 on this. I ran the same tire. It’s a crappy mud tire from a traction perspective, but seemed to pick up less of that sticky mud. I was able to ride quite a bit on those grass/mud strips on the side of the road where other folks were picking up mud with knobbier tires. And no flats. Also, agree on the Eagle 1x setup, shifted great all day and the perfect gear range for me running a 42 ring in the front and 10/50 rear. Congrats on a great race.
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